Juried Art Show goes digital Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre to premiere at Emens

Minnetrista will be holding its 33rd annual Juried Art Show. An award ceremony and opening reception will be held from the past year’s submissions Jan. 27. The art show was open to all Indiana artists. This year, the show will be digital. It will be available for viewing to the public for free from Jan. 28 to April 16.

The Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre is coming to Emens Auditorium with performances by the diverse ensemble Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. The performance will consist of a variety of dances from theatre, performance art, opera, drag and contemporary ballet. The Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre has performed at multiple prestigious dance festivals.

Community Campus International

Maya Rudolph named new M&M spokesperson

On Jan. 23, Mars announced on Twitter their seven “spokescandies” for M&M will be taking an indefinite pause. This comes after the company changed the green M&M spokecandy’s shoes, causing a large reaction on the Internet. In the meantime, actress Maya Rudolph will be the candy company’s spokesperson to help create an environment of belonging.

Be aware, but don’t stare.

For safety reasons, it is important to be aware of your surroundings, especially at the gym. You never know when someone will run by or a piece of equipment is being used. It is important not to stare though, or you can make people uncomfortable. According to Metro, three in five women say they have felt “inappropriately looked at” in the gym. A quick glance around the room is a good way to stay aware without making others uneasy.

When choosing equipment, it’s important to be aware of what is in use. Sometimes, a tell-tale sign can be a towel or a water bottle on or next to a machine. This may mean the machine is taken, even if someone isn’t on it. Being aware helps allow you to be respectful of others and show care for yourself.

Respect the equipment.

Exercise equipment can be quite expensive. Renting out equipment, according to Lendio, can be between $60 to $100 a month per item. Depending on the item, purchasing usually costs between $2,000 to $7,000. Imagine how much it costs to fill a gym. Primo Fitness estimates it would cost about $10,000 to have a small, personal gym. This is why it’s so important to respect the equipment. It could be a hard realization when ‘You break it, you buy it,’ also applies to gym equipment.

Putting things back where they belong is another part of having respect for the gym and the equipment. Leaving something out can be a safety hazard and can cause more work to do for the next person. Along with that, when someone goes too hard on a piece of equipment or uses it wrong, it can hurt both the equipment and the person working out. It is important to read the rules of the gym and each piece of equipment used, so everyone can be safe.

Respect people’s times.

A big part of respecting others’ time is not hogging the equipment. Everyone has a place to be, and some want to get in and out of the gym quickly. Allowing others to use limited equipment is a good sign of respect. If you are dedicated to working on that one piece of equipment, then you can always try to let someone “work in.” This, according to Coach Magazine, means allowing someone to use a piece of equipment between sets while you rest.

There are many other unwritten rules gym rats live to follow. Going to the gym can be intimidating, but the more you go, the more you will get comfortable and figure out the flow of the fitness center. Following these tips, along with any other rules at your gym, will help to have the best and most comfortable experience.

Mya Cataline Associate Lifestyles Editor

Sigma Chi fraternity brothers stand in the formal room, waiting for a special girl to arrive. A white rose, the fraternity’s flower, is handed to her as the brothers serenade her with their sweetheart song and welcome her into the fraternity.

She is now their sweetheart.

For Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities, their sweetheart is a big part of the organization who gives them support and is someone to lean on if the members ever need to talk about something happening in their lives or even just need help with their education.

“Interfraternity council is a self-governing body that works closely with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and represents members of 13 fraternities at Ball State. IFC consists of nine executive council members, a voting representative from each fraternity and the chapter president from each fraternity,” the Ball State University Fraternity and Sorority Life website said.

The Sweetheart of IFC fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Phi sorority member Blythe Miller, got elected in fall of 2022.

“I always wanted to run for a certain fraternity … I started to watch their current sweetheart, and so I started to hang around the fraternity more,” Miller said.

Sweethearts for fraternities have been around since the 1920s, starting with the Sigma Chi sweetheart and auxiliary women’s groups like the International Sigmas and Little Sister groups, according to the Sigma Chi website.

According to the IFC fraternity, Sigma Chi President and third-year Ball State student Joseph Gassensmith, the sweetheart for Sigma Chi tends to have philanthropic and service efforts to focus on during her time with the fraternity. Their focus right now is the Huntsman Cancer Research Institute, which specializes in women’s cancer research.

The characteristics of sweethearts tend to be the same ones the fraternity members have to have as well. According to Gassensmith, this mainly includes loyalty to the fraternity and an extroverted personality.

When it comes to the ages of sweethearts,

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they are usually third-years or fourth-years, and they normally run for the position alone. Sometimes, two sweethearts are in one fraternity, one as a thirdyear and one as a fourth-year.

“I know that certain fraternities do paired sweethearts, so one senior and one underclassman can run as a team,” IFC fraternity Theta Chi sweetheart and Alpha Chi Omega sorority member Seattle Greenwell said.

There are two different types of nominations when it comes to the sweetheart elections. There are open applications for women to fill out, and then there are nominations by one of the fraternity members.

According to IFC fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon president and Ball State third-year Josh Novack, the way to get nominated by a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon is to hang out around the house more and talk with members of the fraternity.

Once the women are nominated, or re-run if they were past sweethearts, they have to prepare a two-to-three-minute speech to give in front of members of the fraternity. Their speech must show how much they care about the fraternity and what they would like to do in their role as sweetheart.

“Going into the speech, I was very nervous. I was intimidated by the other girls running, mostly by their past sweetheart [who] was running,” Sweetheart of Sigma Chi and sorority Alpha Phi member Brooke Fuller said.

After the speeches, the fraternity members vote, which then leads to the welcoming of the newest sweetheart of the fraternity.